Ben Carson: Educational and political aspirations to help

As a child I experienced firsthand the severe effects of poverty and illiteracy, especially upon women and children. My parents taught me the importance of education and that it was a key to improving an individual's life. --Naveen Jain

Just as the Aesop Fable of “The Tortoise and the Hare”, we see Hillary Clinton just as she was leading up to the 2008 elections running hard and strong and making comments that she hasn’t made a decision. In the words of her husband who just so happens to be the 42nd president of the United States, “give me a break!” On the other hand, Ben Carson, the now retired world-renowned pediatric neurosurgeon and New York Times bestselling author can be likened to the tortoise and while he is likely to be pacing himself toward any 2016 run for the presidency, in the meantime many are benefiting from his interest and concern over the commonest of foes . . . illiteracy.

The Palm Beach County Chapter of the Carson Scholars Fund is pleased to announce Allamanda Elementary School is the recipient of funding to create a Ben Carson Reading Room. This will be the first Ben Carson Reading Room to be located in a Palm Beach County school and the second reading room in the state of Florida. The grand opening ceremony is anticipated to take place in the fall. The Ben Carson Reading Project is an initiative of the Carson Scholars Fund. The Carson Scholars Fund was founded by the pediatric neurosurgeon and wife, Candy to create a literacy enriched environment for children to develop their reading skills. The reading project is dedicated to promoting reading as a key to unlocking a child’s full potential.

Allamanda Elementary School Principal, Marilu Garcia, remarked, “The Allamanda community is very excited about the donation of a Ben Carson Reading Room. We are very fortunate to have members of the Palm Beach County Chapter of the Carson Scholars Fund share their joy of reading by sponsoring the reading room. The reading room will give our students a very special place to get lost in the world of reading.”

Currently there are 110 Ben Carson Reading Room locations serving students in 14 states and the District of Columbia. The project has placed over 55,000 books into students’ hands (To learn more about the Carson Scholars Fund visit www.carsonscholars.org). Everyone in lower and middle class America knows that little by little does the trick and that everyday people are the key in winning elections. Show us you care by making a difference for us today potential candidates for all public offices.

Widespread illiteracy not only leads to lower education and employment rates, it is also linked to increased crime and incarceration and a high social and economic cost. Read on to learn more about the terrible effects of illiteracy on society and what you can do to help.

Most people think of literacy as a simple question of being able to read. But while a young child who can work her way through a basic picture book is considered to have age-appropriate literacy levels, an adult who can only read at the most fundamental level is still functionally illiterate.

The world requires that adults not only be able to read and understand basic texts, but also be able to function in the workplace, pay bills, understand legal and financial documents and navigate technology - not to mention the advanced reading comprehension skills required to pursue postsecondary education and the opportunities that come with it.

As a result, when we talk about the effects of illiteracy on society, we're talking primarily about what happens when you have a large number of adults whose literacy skills are too low to perform normal, day-to-day tasks. However, it is worth keeping in mind that childhood illiteracy is, of course, directly correlated to adult illiteracy.

Illiteracy Around the World

In 2003, the United Nations launched the United Nations Literacy Decade (UNLD) with the slogan, 'Literacy is freedom.' Operating under the premise that 'literacy is a human right,' the initiative aims to improve literacy efforts, increase global literacy levels and reduce poverty.

Share this article

Teresa Myers is a former classroom teacher and business professional. Currently, she is semi-retired and working through a tutoring agency as a professional tutor. Teresa is a native Floridian and received both her graduate and undergraduate degrees in her home state. Ms. Myers has broad experiences in marketing and sales from Canada to the southeast United States. Her compassion for education and interest in business were both incorporated in her master’s degree thesis. As a tutor, with personal emphasis on the elementary student, she realizes the major importance of establishing a firm foundation in early childhood training and endeavors to play a part in educating and encouraging others to that sense of urgency and importance. You can reach her at this address.